Cole Perfetti’s new deal is starting to look like one of the best bargains on the Winnipeg Jets’ books.
That’s quite a turn after a messy offseason in Winnipeg. The Jets were coming off an 82-point season that ended with them missing the playoffs for the first time since 2022, and the mood took another hit when Connor Hellebuyck requested a trade from the team and publicly confirmed it in late August.
Still, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff did lock up one major piece. In July, Winnipeg signed Perfetti to a five-year, $30 million extension, and through eight games this season the 2020 Whitby, Ontario native is already making the $6 million average annual value look light. He has five goals and three assists for eight points, and he’s been a key part of the Jets’ 4-2-2 start.
On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton brought Winnipeg Sports Talk’s Andrew Paterson on to break down what Perfetti’s start means for the Jets.
“Is this the contract that we’re going to look back on that saved the Winnipeg Jets because of his performance so far?”
Paterson said the early returns on the extension “could not look much better” from a cap standpoint. He pointed back to what he called a big year for Perfetti last season, noting the winger had already delivered “the most famous goal in franchise history” during the Presidents’ Trophy season before a high ankle sprain derailed him.
That injury kept Perfetti out for almost the first two months of the season, and Paterson said the young forward was pushing to return while the team was struggling. In his view, Perfetti didn’t truly look like himself until the final 20 games, and that stretch left him feeling pressure in what was also a contract year.
Paterson said the Jets clearly still believed in him, and that belief may have helped Winnipeg land him at a number that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. He also noted that Perfetti no longer has to think about his contract and can focus entirely on helping the team win.
And the role he’s been given has fit perfectly. Paterson said Perfetti now has a place “riding shotgun with #55 and #81 on one of the best lines in the NHL,” and the production has come with it. He added that some Jets fans who took a chance on Perfetti late in fantasy hockey drafts have plenty to be happy about, too.
The confidence, Paterson said, is obvious, especially in the way Perfetti is shooting the puck. He pointed to the two goals against Minnesota on Tuesday as examples of how quickly the winger is making plays now.
In Other News...
Rangers Could Trigger The Goalie Domino That Reshapes This Market
Connor Hellebuycks situation has become one of the more closely watched threads in the goalie market, and the Winnipeg Jets may not be the only club waiting on a resolution. Elliotte Friedman reported that the New York Rangers could wind up shaping the market even without any interest in Hellebuyck themselves, as their next move in goal might help set everything else in motion. With Hellebuycks suspension nearing its end and Winnipeg believed to be looking to move him, the timing now feels tied to what develops elsewhere first.
The Rangers are being connected to separate goalie possibilities involving Buffalo, Carolina and Los Angeles, and those discussions could create the opening another team needs before a Hellebuyck deal can be completed. For the Jets, that means the path forward may depend less on their own urgency than on a chain reaction they cannot control. It is the kind of market wrinkle that can keep a prominent player in limbo a little longer, even when the general direction of the story already seems clear. [Read more 🡒]
Former Jet Comes Back To Haunt Winnipeg In Painful Loss
The night had a little extra weight before the puck even dropped, with the ceremony in support of the Toba Centre setting the tone in Winnipeg. On the ice, the Jets had their chances and got goals from Mark Scheifele and Alex Iafallo, but Carolina kept answering and ultimately left town with a 3-2 win after holding off a late push to level things.
A familiar face played a central role in the outcome, which only made the finish sting more for Winnipeg. The Hurricanes got the decisive goal from Nikolaj Ehlers, and with that marker he completed a rare personal checklist while leaving the Jets to sit with a loss that felt even harder given how close they came to extending the game. [Read more 🡒]
Jets May Soon Face Their Biggest Hellebuyck Problem Yet
Connor Hellebuycks future in Winnipeg still hangs over the Jets, even as the team tries to keep its attention on the ice. Captain Adam Lowry acknowledged there will need to be conversations if the goaltender comes back into the fold, a sign that this is no ordinary roster matter. Hellebuyck was suspended without pay after requesting a trade and not reporting to training camp, and Winnipeg has continued to move forward while other goaltenders have performed well.
Scott Arniel sidestepped the subject when asked about Hellebuycks return, choosing instead to talk about the games ahead. Behind the scenes, though, the Jets are still working the phones and trying to find a trade partner as the suspension nears a possible end next Friday. If the situation does circle back to the dressing room, it will require more than a roster decision to smooth over what has already become a complicated break. [Read more 🡒]